Smoke House of the Catskills

I am updating my earlier review, as it’s almost three years old. To set the record straight, Smoke House is just as fabulous as ever. We shop there for meat, cheese, wild mushrooms, locally baked breads and other specialty items on a regular basis and appreciate the high quality and the reasonable pricing.

I found Smokehouse of the Catskills after doing a search for German food in the Albany area. It was on my way back to the city so I figured I’d give it a shot. Turned out to be a stellar move.
I actually drove past this gem of a shop for years and didn’t even realize it. Oh dear Lord, all the double smoked bacon, German sausages, and steaks that I missed!
It’s sort of in the middle of nowhere in Saugerties but when we pulled up there were at least 30 cars in the parking lot, a good sign of quality. Also, I heard 4 or 5 customers speaking German which speaks volumes about the place; if Krauts are schlepping out here to buy knockwurst and it’s gotta be good.
We had to wait a bit but when I finally got up to the plate I went a bit nuts with the ordering. I got some venison salami, 2 kinds of bologna, double smoked bacon, pastrami, hard German salami, bratwurst, smoked Hungarian kielbasa, smoked cheddar, beef jerky, and… a smoked pig’s ear — all made in house except the cheese (though I do believe it was smoked there).
I sat next to this bag of goodies for about an hour and I have to say; the smell was phenomenal. After devouring a good chunk of contents back home I’m glad to report that quality was just as good as I’d expected, e.g. fucking awesome.
I’d definitely recommend this place if you’re ever driving on the NYS Thruway and want some great smoked/​German/​farm fresh meats. So worth it.

This place is the BEST! I love the variety and the friendly staff. I never leave without a sleeve of breakfast bacon, ground southwest sausage and now the baked beans :) These meats were made for grilling — I can’t wait for summer and some brisket burgers!

Oh dear lord, this place is smoked meat heaven!
The best part for me, they have myriad German specialty sausages, including my favorite smoky dried sausage snack, landjäger. Check these guys out!

I remember this place when it was simply the Saugerties Pork Store or something like that. The selection of quality meat is outstanding. I recall a backpacking trip I took in the area when I left most of my food bag at home by accident, so I bought their smoked chicken and put it in my backpack and ate it for three days. Absolutely delicious. Their sausage is outstanding.
As I write this I’m cooking one of their smoked beef tongues and am eagerly awaiting the results with a loaf of rye bread and good mustard. It will be my lunch for the next few days.
The full parking lot is a testament to the quality of the meat here.
It’s not cheap. You will spend considerably more for cuts of meat that you can find at the supermarket, but they are far better and the selection of unusual cuts is an added attraction. The staff is friendly and will give you cooking tips if you need them.

I love this place. There food is incredible. I’m not a poet so I’m not even gonna try and describe how good it is. Your loss if your able to stop in and don’t.
Every summer BBQ, picnic, camping trip, and tailgating experience should start with a stop here.

LOVE THIS PLACE! I ALWAYS find something (or many things) I want to purchase/​eat. The prices are great too!

We stop here every time we go to Woodstock for one reason and one reason alone: their homemade beef jerky. The perfect balance of smoke, spice, and chewiness (although, admittedly, we have gotten batches that are a little sinewy but not overly so). I’ve never been a fan of the stuff you get in stick form at the grocery store, and after eating this I have a hard time believing that the stick-​stuff can actually be called beef jerky.
Of course, their other meat options look amazing. Haven’t had the chance to try any of them yet, but looking forward to it.

Smoke House of the Catskills is great. Their meat selection is huge, delicious and reasonably priced. I’ve tried so many things– pork chops, various steaks, hot dogs with or without a natural casing, teewurst, kielbasa, a really good chicken sausage, bratwurst, weisswurst, westphalian ham and everything was good. They also have a wide selection of German speciality food items. I cannot stay away from their chocolate selection and have tried some really great sauerkraut from them. My mother always picks up soup bones from them when she goes and the soups made with those bones as opposed to supermarket ones are always way more flavorful.
The service is friendly and knowledgeable and they if you don’t see it, ask, and they usually can cut more or offer something that may be comparable. I think they also process venison for hunters but I have never used this service.

Go see for yourself. Amazing. This is truly a good old fashioned family run business. Can be crowded b/​c its fabulous. So you can wait if you hit it at a peak time. But who cares? So many fun, interesting products to browse through.
Owners are Mike and Heidi. Please introduce yourself to them. If you have any question regarding anything in the case Mike and Heidi are happy to help you. They are so accommodating and happily fulfill special requests.
By the way, its so clean you could eat of the floors. There is nothing to hide here. Everything is out in the open and on display. It sparkles. And so do the owners and staff.
Not to be missed.

Let me just add my vote for double smoked bacon, venison salami, sweet & hot capicola, ham steaks cut thick for the grill. This family business has been around forever. Mike the butcher; his wife Heidi, daughter and grandma behind the counter as well as multiple of their other kids in the back doing the work. Look for Mike’s good brown eggs in the frig. Great customer service. They make all their own sausages, much of the cold cuts, and will cut to order. The bacon really is the best we’ve ever had.

This place is great — just make sure you grab a number when you walk in!
They have just about anything you can think of, and they’ll also cut meat to order for you. The sausage selection is always interesting and they have the usual suspects as well as some off the beaten path goodies.
Among other things, I picked up skirt steak the last time I was there, and was reminded just how good that cut of meat is when lightly marinated and grilled. I am pretty sure if I had tried to mooch off my husband’s plate I would have lost a finger, if not a whole hand.
The double smoked bacon is also excellent, and they’ll cut it to order… nothing like a pound of bacon cut into about 10 slices. Yum.

This place is amazing! I go up to Saugerties to visit a friend but really it’s to go to SHotC. Things I must get every time I go:
double smoked bacon
westphalian ham
whole smoked chicken
venison salami
skirt steak
breakfast kielbasa
smoked pork chops
Take a cooler when you go and stock up!

Finest smoke house I’ve ever come across in all my travels!
Any of their steaks, pork chops, sausages, or other meats would do your table proud.
Rich heritage of old fashioned meat purveyor…